Turkey plans to resume int'l flights to 40 countries, regions in June

Turkey is planning to resume international flights to 40 countries in the upcoming period in June, local media reported on Thursday, reported news agency Xinhua.

The NTV broadcaster said the first flights would be on June 10 from Istanbul to a couple of countries, including Greece, Bulgaria, Bahrain, and Qatar.

Several others, including some European and Far Eastern countries, would be included in the flight list later this month, NTV added, citing the Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Ministry.

Meanwhile, Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) increased its number of domestic flights as of Thursday by taking the highest measures against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The flag carrier started to distribute hygiene kits containing a protective mask, disinfectant, and antiseptic tissue depending on the length of the travel to its passengers.

The THY said at a press release that the company also recruited "hygiene experts" to join cabin crews in each flight for the enforcement of all on-board hygiene and social distancing measures.

Experts will monitor the mask usage of passengers while making sure that they do not remove their masks all at once during food and beverages service, the statement said.

They will also instruct passengers about using lavatories by following the hygiene rules.

"We believe that our hygiene experts will help our passengers to feel more comfortable and relaxed about their travels," Ilker Ayci, chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the company said at the release.

Turkey's airline companies, the THY and Pegasus Airlines, resumed their domestic operations on Monday with a limited number of flights after two months of closure over the COVID-19 pandemic.